Opening date decided for Sussex’s newest – and tallest – attraction

Sussex’s newest attraction, the world’s tallest moving observation tower, will open to the public next month.

The British Airways i360, on Brighton seafront, will open its doors on August 4.

Provided by woods travel SUS-160615-121959003

Visitors will be able to glide up to 450 feet in a fully enclosed futuristic glass viewing pod to admire the unfolding views across much of Sussex.

A number of events will mark the launch and will be announced in the coming weeks.

Conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye, the record-breaking attraction opens almost exactly two years to the day when the project team put the first spade in the ground to begin construction.

Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield said: “After two years of intense ground-breaking architectural and engineering work on Brighton beach, we are delighted to announce the forthcoming completion of British Airways i360 with tickets now on sale to the public for flights from Thursday August 4.

The i360 pod SUS-160113-162813001

“The team behind British Airways i360 has gone beyond the call of duty and created a new landmark they should all be proud of.”

With echoes of the opening of Brighton’s majestic West Pier 150 years ago this year, extraordinary vision and world-class engineering led to the creation of the elegant, modern design that looks to the future while respecting the heritage of the site.

The architects added, “Built at the landward end of Brighton’s historic West Pier, British Airways i360 is a modern day vertical pier which invites visitors to ‘walk on air’ and gain a new perspective on the city, just as the West Pier invited Victorian society to ‘walk on water’.

“The glass viewing pod, ten times the size of a London Eye capsule and capable of carrying up to 200 passengers, will slowly rise up a slender steel tower to a height of 450 feet to provide passengers with stunning views of Brighton and Hove and a beautiful panorama of the south coast and English Channel.”

Lynne Embleton, British Airways director of strategy and MD Gatwick, said: “British Airways i360 is now ready for take-off and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors on board.

“Brighton is home to thousands of our customers and colleagues and we fly to more than 65 destinations across the globe from Gatwick so we are delighted to be involved in this exciting attraction that we know UK and international visitors will love.”

Tickets can be booked at BritishAirwaysi360.com or by calling 03337 720 360 (a £2 surcharge will be added to each booking made by telephone). Bookings can also be made at the British Airways i360 ticket office from Thursday 4th August.